Salinas CoderDojo enjoys pilgrimage to Silicon Valley

About two dozen kids wrote app, created animated video

Nov. 19, 2013

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For a group of young Salinas software programmers, their trip on Saturday was like a pilgrimage to Mecca.

The road trip took a couple dozen members of the Salinas-based CoderDojo club – a program of the Steinbeck Innovation Foundation – to the heart of Silicon Valley, the technology hub where it all began and that is still a sacred place for computer geeks and those who are geeks at heart.

The young people, ranging in age from 7 to 17, attended a Silicon Valley Youth Forum titled “Be Inspirational.” Assembled panels taught the students about building successful leadership skills and the importance of following their passions. Related hands-on workshops included how to build an app, creating animated videos and a robotics demonstration.

The day-long event, held at Mountain View’s Computer History Museum, was free to the 25 CoderDojo students who attended. The trip was funded entirely with donations from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Steinbeck Innovation Foundation, DSN Grant and Conexion Comunitaria.

“The opportunity to introduce these students to successful professionals in the technological field was invaluable,” said Margaret D’Arrigo, a member of the Steinbeck Innovation Foundation Board of Directors. “Saturday’s trip was an opportunity for these students to experience the real world of technology and make exciting new connections outside of Salinas. This was an opportunity for them to visualize their future.”

Check back later today for a comprehensive story on the advancements of the club.